Sea lion in B.C. suffering from gunshot wounds to the head euthanized

VANCOUVER – A sea lion being treated for gunshots to the head has died at the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.

The aquarium says in a Facebook post the eight- to 10-year-old Steller sea lion named Ukee was euthanized.

A veterinary team says Ukee was blind because of his injuries and had likely been suffering for several weeks before being rescued in Ucluelet on Oct. 11.

Head veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena says the sea lion wasn’t responding to treatment and his condition had worsened in the last two days.

The aquarium says at between 300 and 350 kilograms, Ukee was underweight for a healthy adult male of its species but was still the biggest animal ever admitted to the centre.

Stellar sea lions are listed as a species of special concern in B.C., meaning they are particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.